Kilimanjaro: Day 3

It took me a while to fall asleep last night. I spent almost two hours writing and then couldn’t settle in my tent. With only my face exposed to the outside air, my nose was getting cold so I decided to bury my entire self inside my sleeping bag. Thankfully, my feet were toasty warm thanks my Nalgene bottle full of boiling water that was stuffed at the foot of my sleeping bag. I found myself pushing it around throughout the night with my feet and my toes to warm my ankles, shins, and legs too. That warm bottle was oddly comforting.

At some point in the night, it could have been midnight or 5 AM for all I know, I awoke and had to pee again thanks to the diamox. My theory from that night forward was to rip the bandaid off so to speak... just get up right away and go so I could return to my warm sleeping bag as soon as possible and get back to sleep.

As soon as I stepped out of my tent, I said out loud, “hoooo-leeee shit”. As I looked up into the black sky above, I was greeted by a sea of stars. Every constellation you can imagine was right there for my eyes to see. The sky was lit up in every direction by shining stars, planets, and even the Milky Way. It is a sight I will never forget. Only upon reaching the summit have I ever felt closer to Heaven on Earth. This was my nightly gift for having to get up and step out of the warmth of my tent to use the toilet. I absolutely loved it. I couldn’t have been happier to have had the opportunity to take it all in in those moments. Just me, myself, and the Heavens above.

As I returned to my tent and laid my head back down, I swore I heard water flowing in the distance. I learned the following morning as we began our trek that there was in fact a stream nearby. I hadn’t imagined it. It was real, and the sound of the flowing water had rocked me back to sleep.

At 6 AM, I heard the knock on my tent followed by “hello, hello...” and three minutes later, Sosten returned with a mug of hot, black coffee for me which I enjoyed while sitting up in my tent, still cuddled into my sleeping bag up to my waist like a half mummy.

Thirty minutes later, the warm wash basin was delivered and I began to get myself ready for the day ahead. In just that thirty minutes, as the sun rose above the summit of Kilimanjaro in the distance, I could feel the temperature change and the warmth of the sun filling up my tent, warming my soul. The absolute best feeling after a cold night.

After saying my morning prayers to the Universe, I decided to play some music in my tent as I organized my gear, washed up, and got dressed for the day ahead. What a treat! I hadn’t heard music in a few days and as I played the first song, a cover of “Imagine” by Chris Cornell, tears came to my eyes. This is one of my all time favorite songs and hearing it in my tent, alone, in that setting...it was simply the most beautiful way to start my day.

In that moment, I was so grateful for my friend Christina who had lent me her phone charging cord. I had remembered to bring three fully charged batteries for my phone, but completely forgotten to pack my charging cord! Thanks to Christina, I was able to recharge my phone battery overnight. It became apparent quickly that we had all forgotten something and that thankfully, as a group, we had everything any of us could need for the journey ahead. Everyone was happy to share and support one another along the way.

At about 6:45 AM, one of our lead guides, Augustine, arrived to my tent to conduct my morning health check, smiling big with his two giant dimples lighting up the world with joy. We listened to “Hallelujah” together as he did so. It was a special moment and we both smiled and swayed to the music.

My pulse was 81 and my oxygen saturation level was 93%. I felt really good.

Despite that, I could feel the air beginning to thin out at this elevation. It was tickling my throat a little causing me to cough every so often. When I first moved my body after rest, it felt like I had to work a little harder to breathe...not terrible, but certainly noticeable. The great news was that after about three minutes or so, my body seemed to adjust, settle in, and feel really good again.

As I exited my tent to a clear view of the entirety of Kilimanjaro’s summit, I thought to myself, “My God. Is this my life? Is this real?”

This is so real.

I am here.

We are here.

I knew once again that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I not only felt this, but knew it to be true as the trek ahead was lined by heart shaped rocks once again. 29 to be exact, guiding me every step of the way.

I felt grateful for yet another brand new day, the love and support surrounding me, and my entire spiritual team. I felt so grateful for the picture perfect weather we had been gifted again for the third day in a row on the mountain. But mostly, I felt grateful for my breath, now more than ever before in my entire life.

After breakfast, before we left camp for the day, our entire crew of 30 beautiful individuals introduced themselves to our team. We were told the introductions were meant as a means of letting our team know who was who so that when it came time a few days later to decide on tips, we would know who had what job and be able to put a face to the name.

The introductions were so much more than that.

Hearing each crew member say hello with a smile and then share their name...Emmanuel, Frederik, Godlisten, Geoffrey, Neemia, Wilson, Bruno, Ramadhani, Bernald, Onesphory, Ambros, and more...made me feel an even bigger sense of connection to the group. It was like, with those introductions, we all solidified the fact that we were there on the mountain together, in it together, one big team, one big family.

The crew then sang two traditional songs for our team as they clapped and danced and smiled so brightly. Their smiles and energy was contagious, causing me to smile and light up...causing the entire team to beam with joy. This was a special treat as we had been told no singing was allowed on the mountain right now due to Covid, at which we all laughed because it was so ridiculous. We could all hike together and live in close quarters, but god forbid anyone sing a song. Who came up with this stupid rule anyway?!? We gladly broke it!

Our team of seven was up next to introduce ourselves to the crew. I was up first.

“Jambo”, I yelled with a smile and wave. “My name is Heather.” To which nearly the entire crew smiled and repeated, “Heather.”

We took photos of the entire group together and I felt myself impatiently waiting to receive my copy in the coming months so that I could frame it for my living room wall where several photos hang today under a sign that reads “family”.

These people will forever be part of my family. We will all forever be connected.

Before leaving camp, I conducted my daily morning ritual of spreading my sand from Maine near the camp sign and repeating my mantra three times.

I am safe.

I am loved.

I am guided.

I am safe.

I am loved.

I am guided.

I am safe.

I am loved.

I am guided.

I also got another photo with the Flag of Honor, another part of my daily routine as a means of honoring all those named and all those supporting this journey.

We then began our six mike trek to Shira 2 Camp where we would spend the night at 12,779 feet.

We trekked through more Moreland and for the first half or so, we experienced a very gradual gain in elevation. It was a welcomed treat after some of the steeper climbs we had experienced thus far. We were moving at a faster pace than we had been previously, and I joked with the team that Augustine, our leader for the day, must have missed the Pole Pole memo! Once we got moving though and our bodies adjusted, it felt really good to have set a different pace for this day, for this terrain, for this portion of our hike.

We noticed at some point that the trees we were seeing today were similar to yesterday. But definitely bigger and much higher. Also, we were seeing a lot of moss, including a red moss which was pleasing to the eye and which we learned was only out this time of year.

The more we hiked and the more we experienced on this journey, the more it became clear that we were lucky to have come this time of year, getting to see things that others would not at different times of year. Additionally, due to Covid, there were days we saw no other groups of hikers and had the mountain seemingly all to ourselves. The paths were untouched, the beauty surrounding us was untouched, and the serenity that came with that was perfection. I felt so ridiculously blessed to experience the mountain in this way.

We took two or three breaks along the way and when we reached our final resting point, we saw our first Jurassic Park looking tree, for ally called a Dendrosenecio kilimanjari. These trees can only be found on Kilimanjaro and they seriously look like they came out of a prehistoric movie. Totally awesome to see up close and personal! Augustine explained to us that each portion of the tree represents about 25 years. In this picture, the small bottom portion of the tree, right before it splits, represents approximately that 25 year timeframe and so we estimated that this tree had to be about 400-500 years old!

These “groundsels” never lose their dead looking leaves because they actually serve to protect the tree from the freezing temperatures. The leaves contain a sort of anti-freeze that works to keep them protected from the elements and alive.

As we all look and stare in awe, I realize I will likely never see a tree like this again and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this experience.

After about another 45 minutes had passed, and we had tackled a steeper and rockier portion of the trail, we arrived at Shira 2 Camp.

Today’s hike felt easy compared to what we had experienced so far and knowing that tomorrow we would have a long day, hiking to our highest elevation yet, I was happy to relax and rest for the remainder of the afternoon at camp.

As I looked around, I was thrilled because we were literally in the clouds at camp. It was beautiful. We had a new and different view of the summit, still in plain sight but much closer than our previous camp. Every day that we settled at camp, the summit itself seemed more attainable and real and that was a welcomed feeling.

After settling into camp, we enjoyed warm tea and an amazing lunch followed by a few hours to rest in our tents which served as a form of a sauna that afternoon, the heat from the warm sun trapped inside, melting into my body. For the first time since beginning our hike, I took off all my layers and laid in my sports bra and underwear inside my tent, quickly falling asleep for a short nap. I dreamt that I was on the beach, the warmth of the sun flowing through my veins, warming my entire body. I awoke wanting to hold onto that warmth for the cold night that I knew lie ahead.

I decided before our evening tea to trek down the hill just a bit and see if I could get reception on my cell again. I had seen porters and crew down there earlier in their phones and figured it was worth a try.

Success! On my first try, after a few rings, Paul picked up and I got to hear his voice after what felt like ages. I was so happy and felt so lucky to have the gift of service at nearly 13,000 feet. Hearing his voice filled me up with happiness and I smiled so big as I got to share some of my experience with him and let him know I was doing OK and feeling good.

My God, I love that man.

I tried to reach my little loves too, but the phone call would not connect. When I was told later that our camp the next evening would definitely have service, I clung onto that with excitement looking forward to hearing their little voices and getting to tell them I love them. I could not even wait for that call!

After walking back up the hill, I returned to my tent where I must have drifted off again because before I knew it, my body was twitching and I woke myself from yet another dream. Moments later I heard a knock from outside my tent letting me know that it was time again for tea followed by dinner.

Before dinner arrived, we all had our evening health checks in the mess tent. I reported feeling 10/10, no nausea, vomiting, headache, or diarrhea. I report yes and yes to number one and number two today, and confirm that I do not have a cough and am not experiencing any wheezing. Wilfred reports my vitals as pulse 78, oxygen saturation 91%. I’ll take it.

We all enjoyed another amazing dinner followed by our favorite ginger tea. Wilfred briefed us for the following day, sharing that it would be a long one. He informed us that we would gain 2,000 feet of elevation as we climbed to the Lava Tower standing at 15,200 feet. There, we would stop for lunch in our mess tent that the porters will have set up for us, and then we would descend back to the Barranco Camp at 13,200 feet for the evening. This hike was meant to acclimatize our bodies before sleeping at a higher elevation. Our bodies would get the gift of exposure on this climb and hopefully remember the elevation for the evening of night five.

We were to wear our base layers, warm pants, and bring a warm hat, gloves, and our down puffy jackets because it would likely be windy and cold at the Lava Tower.

After everyone had left the mess tent, I stayed behind to finish my tea before retiring for the night. I got the gift of time with one of our waiters, Godlisten, and so I asked him how to say Good Night in Swahili?

“Usika Mwema”, he informed me. I quickly added it to the dictionary of words I was building in my IPhone.

I then asked him how to say I love you.

“Nakupenda sana”, he replies, which I learn later means I love you so much.

I say “usika mwema” and then head to my tent to settle in for the night ahead. My body and mind need rest and my hot water bottle awaits.